ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Unsuspecting tourists in Central Florida could be staying in a hotel that’s being used as a ward for COVID-19 patients.
To prevent large outbreaks of the coronavirus at our homeless shelters, those who test positive are being placed in 10 rooms set aside at a local hotel.
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But the agency coordinating the efforts isn’t revealing which hotel it is, and doesn’t know if other guests are being told.
When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit, Orange County signed an emergency 30-day agreement with operators of the International Drive Best Western Hotel for a block of 50 rooms in which to place homeless people who test positive.
At the time, there were no other guests at the hotel.
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When the Best Western agreement ended, the Homeless Services Network of Central Florida took over coordinating the program for local cities and counties.
They now have 10 rooms at a local hotel where those who need care get three meals a day and are visited twice a day by nurse practitioners.
They have security guards, and the patients are cordoned off from the rest of the guests.
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The Homeless Services Network says they have 40 to 45 people in the program.
Even though security is present, they stress that the COVID-19 patients are not prisoners and are free to leave their rooms.